Climate Change and your Health

Many people across the world if asked how climate change affects them would probably think about how the increasing temperatures would make it too uncomfortable to step out of their homes. Very few people are able to think beyond this narrow view and look at how climate change affects their health. The impact on health is one of those slow and insidious effects of climate change. One that can easily be forgotten yet it is crucial to life. To understand how our health is being affected by climate change, one has to look at it in a systematic manner.

Firstly, climate change which is characterized by not only rising temperatures but also changes in seasons, increases in intensity of some extremes of weather conditions and changes the fine dust levels in the air. All these changes can affect physical, community and mental health. An increase in the intensity of extremes of weather conditions like levels of precipitation has led to increased instances of floods. Recent events have shed light on the fact that developing countries aren’t the only ones affected by extremes of weather. Floods are associated with increased transmission of water -related diseases. Many people who are confined in flooded areas have reduced access to clean water. This leads to use of contaminated water which leads to increase in the instances of water-borne diseases like cholera and extreme diarrhea which can all lead to death.

Seasons of excessive rainfall have also become more frequent which has led to more collections of stagnant water. This is the perfect breeding place for mosquitoes. In tropical countries, this poses a risk, as increased breeding of mosquitoes, particularly the anopheles type means there will be more cases of malaria. According to data collected by UNICEF, nearly every minute a child under five dies from malaria. Globally, in 2021, out of the 247 million cases of malaria there were 619,000 deaths. These numbers leave out those deaths that occur at home as a result of untreated cases of malaria, which is common in developing countries as a result of expensive health care.

Another indirect effect of climate change is changes in seasons. In cases of drought and floods, there is reduced food production as farmers will not be able to anticipate the changing seasons and plan accordingly. Reduced production of food will lead to malnutrition in the long run as people will not be able to obtain the nutrients that their bodies need. Malnutrition creates a state of immunosuppression where the body fails to fight against infection and disease, hence more deaths.

The above examples are just a few of the many ways climate change can affect health. This is just the tip of the iceberg that will unravel in case people do not take a stand against the various causes of climate change. Everyone should be a climate activist, for the effects of climate change will affect every person, whether rich or poor.